How 5-year-old King Singh’s fight with cancer brought love and art to the NYSE

Meet King Singh, the five-year-old beast from Queens, who after three years of constant chemotherapy can still laugh in the face of cancer.

Our squad at Kulture Hub had the amazing opportunity to talk to King and his family about the love that’s recently been pouring down on him.

King Saladeen, Sue Tsai, Ruby Sneaks, and Trippy Pins were just some of the big supporters King had around him at the New York Stock Exchange. King’s father Michael Singh told us how grateful he was for the support:

“That’s why we’re so happy that we met all these artists because through art, there’s a way he found to escape the pain — escape the daily struggle of taking chemotherapy every single day.”

King isn’t just your everyday kid. He was diagnosed with G6PD at the age of two, then while monitoring him on a daily basis, he was found to also have Leukemia. For those who don’t really know how detrimental these diseases can be, get ready.

G6PD is an incurable blood-enzyme deficiency that’s only delayed by constant blood transfusions and rest. After being diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in the high-risk category in 2016, things were looking grim for King and his family, midway into the second year of his life.

Although this was treatable with chemo, G6PD created some critical complications.

“The chemo is given to him everywhere because blood cancer could travel to any organ in the body and the brain… He had to rehabilitate himself at the age of 3 and learn to start walking and talking again,” said Michael.

Vincristine toxicity, from chemotherapy, made him unable to walk for months. Neuropathy left nerve damage throughout his body as well as leukoencephalopathy which made his brain swell.

These are just some of the complications this kindergartner has had to deal with. He spent the rest of 2016 and the majority of 2017 hospitalized and isolated, but King never stopped fighting.

His father was with him every step of the way, while his mother carried the financial burden on her shoulders. Being a Leo, it was already written in the stars he’d be a fighter, but no one knew his own strength, besides himself.

He had to re-learn how to actually walk and communicate again from being bedridden for months, essentially without being given any real hope.

After an absolutely ridiculous amount of blood and platelet transfusions, lumbar punctures, chemotherapy infusions, and so much more, we think it’s safe to safe King is one of the most inspirational people we’ve ever met.

Now, at 5-years-old, he’s being recognized by some powerful people at the NYSE, as well as being one of the biggest childhood cancer and blood advocates of the generation. See our video with King below. 

Against all odds, King’s also a crucial participant in an experimental study that helps newly diagnosed kids in the future. Quick sidenote — his dream is to meet Drake and we think a kid as unstoppable and determined as King should have no problem linking with another GOAT.

Even if it’s not in our immediate family, everyone should be aware of how these diseases are tearing families apart, around the nation and across the globe. Information is power, and if there’s any way you can help the next family by paying it forward, get out there and make a difference!

Check out King’s website for more information about his life-threatening disease and make sure you support his journey to recovery on GoFundMe.

Everything counts.